gift guide Archives - Mami To Five

Choosing Christmas gifts for men from Uncommon goods

Everyone loves a bit of shopping. I actually hate physically going to the shops but I can quite happily window shop on the internet for hours at a time, especially when I am looking to buy gifts for family and friends. One of the wonderful things about the internet is that you are now able to easily see what is available to buy, all across the globe. In theory this is fantastic, but quite often you are faced with a ‘we only ship to the continental united states’ Or ‘international shipping not available at this time’ which means you either a)need to find a similar product available in the UK, or b) need to know someone who lives in that country to borrow their address. But then you are effectively paying double the shipping costs and also putting someone else out.

I am always quite excited when I find a website that are happy to deliver goods to the UK so imagine how pleased I was when I was approached by the website Uncommon Goods to take a look at their website and not only was international shipping available but they also had the option to view prices in your own currency. So much easier than trying to figure out exchange rates!

I’m not sure if it’s just me but I usually find it particularly difficult choosing gifts for the men in my life. However whilst I was browsing I kept coming across things I thought Lee, or my dad, would love. In fact the entire selection of men’s gifts was quite broad and I expect you’d easily find something for even the fussiest of men.

Here’s a small selection of items I thought Lee would love this Christmas. He usually ends up with smellies, funny socks and a new video game or gadget. These things are all just a little bit different from the usual run of the mill gifts and vary in price from under £10 for the mug to £136 for the handmade, driftwood pen.

Having read into Uncommon Goods a little bit more I was quite impressed by the way they run their business. Not only do they strive to offer unique gifts for men, women and children (let’s just say they certainly live up to their name!) They also seem very ethically minded on the whole, with about one third of their products incorporating recycled or upcycled products. They also seem to appreciate the environment. They endeavour to supply products that are created in harmony with the envirnment without harming people, plants or animals, which in the plastic, throwaway age that we are currently in, is quite hard to come by.

I loved the fact that the artists of the handmade items have their photo right there next to the items they make, you can read a bit about them and the other items they make. This makes everything so much more personal for me and makes me feel that UncommonGoods actually care about their creators and employees. They don’t just mass import cheap products from China just so they can sell them for huge profit!

If you are looking for something that’s just a little bit different this Christmas I really do recommend you give Uncommon Goods a browse. You might just be pleasantly surprised!

This post was made in collaboration with Uncommon Goods, however all thoughts about the website and the products are honest and purely my own.

Christmas Gifts for Women

The last of my Christmas gift guides for 2015 is for women. These presents are much more exciting than the go to wine and chocolates and are all things that I would love to receive this Christmas morning (hint hint Lee!).

If you are still looking for the rest of the family please check out my other gift guides for men, teenagers, older children and not forgetting little ones.

Personalised Family Recipe Print
I just adore these personalised prints that are created by the lovely Caro from The Twinkle Diaries. You give her all the tiny bits of information that are personal to your family and choose from the 32 different colour options. You get sent a digital proof so you can check it over and within 3 weeks you will receive your beautiful print.

Elephant Hot Water Bottle
What woman doesn’t like cuddly toys or hot water bottles? You can be sure that this cute little elephant will be gratefully received on Christmas morning, the fact that it can also be warmed up in the microwave to keep you warm is just an added bonus for the cold winter evenings.

Her Royal Highness Gift Box
Okay, this is a silly one, but every woman would love to be treated like royalty for a day. This gift box contains a royal highness mug and some crown jewels(gummy rings). There is also an inflatable crown, just so no one forgets there is a queen in the house!

Beauty-Licious Gift Basket
Full to the brim with pampering treats, smellies and various bath and body care products, as well as plenty of chocolates and marshmallows to indulge on. Just add a long hot bath and your favourite tipple for a truly indulgent evening.

Calligraphy Craft Kit
Ever fancied learning calligraphy? This kit contains everything you need to learn. There are tags, cards and bookmarks to practice on, four different coloured inks, the pen and a paintbrush to help bring your creations to life.

Jord wood watch
Chunky watches and jewellery are the in thing at the moment and this Sully watch in red sandalwood & maple (affiliate link) could easily be mistaken for a pretty bracelet rather than a timepiece. There are a lot of models and colours to choose from, you could even get ‘his n hers‘ matching watches as joint Christmas gifts.

I’ve partnered with JORD to giveaway a limited quantity of e-gift cards worth $25 each! If you’ve had your eye on one of these lovely wood watches, entering is easy; simply click the link below – it will ask you for your email and your favourite JORD watch once you hit enter, your code will be emailed directly to you!

I hope you all have a great Christmas and new year with family and loved ones.

***Disclaimer: I was sent the Jord wooden watch to add to this gift guide but all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own***

Christmas gifts for Men

At the start of the month I gave you my top tips on buying gifts for the little kids, big kids and teenagers. These next two posts will give you plenty of ideas for the grown ups in your life.

Wood watch from Jord *affiliate link*
Some people may see a watch as an unnecessary item nowadays, after all owning a mobile phone means you will always have something on you that can tell the time, right? Well not necessarily! For starters phones run out of batteries, a lot, there are also plenty of occasions and places where you can’t use a mobile phone at all. A wood watch from Jord takes owning a watch to a whole other level, they are highly decorative and even though they are chunky they are very light. This Delmar in dark sandalwood & blue cobalt is a very stylish watch that any man would love to find under the Christmas tree.

Immerse Virtual Reality Goggles
Compatible with most smart phones up to 5.7″, these goggles immerse you fully into the world of virtual reality. You can watch 3D movies and also take advantage of many of the interactive virtual reality apps and games that you can download. To get the full experience plug in a set of headphones to be completely immersed in the virtual reality experience.

Haynes Zombie Survival Manual
Haynes manuals have come a long way since they were first published back in the 60’s. This zombie survival manual is full of diagrams, step by step instructions and techniques for everything you will need to know from preparing your home, zombiology and moving safely around a zombie invested area. This manual is a must for any walking dead or zombie fan or anyone who believes that a zombie apocalypse is just around the corner!

Black Waxy Leather tab Wallet
Every man needs a good wallet and this smart one from the designer Jasper Conran is bound to be gratefully received on Christmas Morning. It is fashionable yet functional with plenty of space for cards and also features a coin pocket and a fold out ID wondow.

Sudokube
A puzzle is always on my list for a small stocking filler type gift. Lee loves Rubik’s cubes and sudoku so this Sudokube brings the two together nicely, making one very addictive challenge that will bring hours of fun. I’m pretty sure everyone else in the house will be trying to have a turn too.

Chill Out Gift Box

Christmas is a time when most people get a few days off work and get to sit back and relax for a few days. This thoughtful hamper contains everything a man will need to chill out of an evening from beers to savoury snacks, cheese and sweets. Hopefully he will even let you share!

So there you have it six fantastic gifts for men that I have found online. Come back tomorrow for a selection of gifts any woman would love!

***Disclaimer: I was offered the Jord wood watch to add to this gift guide, all thoughts are honest and my own. If you choose to click through the link and make a purchase I will get a small commission.***

Christmas Gifts for Older Children

The third of my Christmas gift guides is for the older children your family. This age can be difficult to buy for, especially if you are trying to find something that isn’t merchandise for the latest big film or video game release. But there are plenty of great products out there that will keep any older child occupied for hours.

For more inspiration please check out my gift guides for teenagers and younger children.

Moochies for Kids
If your anything like me, you will worry about where your child is whenever they leave your house. LV is of the age now where he disappears off on his bike or scooter and often looses track of time and rarely has his phone on him. The Moochies watch solves this problem bynot only being a phone, your child can phone two preset numbers and can be contacted by ten. But it also has a gps tracker so as a parent you can see exactly where they are and even get contacted if they go outside of the predetermined ‘safe zone’. There are four designs so there is something that will suit every one.

4×4 Salt Water Engine Car Kit
Construction kits are always high on the list when I’m looking for Christmas presents. This impressive looking car needs to be put together before adding a few drops of salt water to get the wheels turning. This is a simple and fun way to encourage engineering skills and also teach children about clean, alternative energy.

Kano Computer and Coding Kit
I wish I had found this kit before Santa had finished buying everything on a certain young lad’s Christmas list. This kit comes with everything you need to build a computer (apart from the screen) and even start to learn coding, a vital skill for any child growing up in this day and age. Kids love computers and playing games so getting to build their own games is a real winner in my eyes and to them it will seem like nothing but fun, which is brilliant!

Dining Table Ping Pong Set
Even the least sporty child will find it hard not to enjoy a game of ping pong. I myself can’t hit the ball for toffees due to a major lack of hand eye coordination, yet I still enjoy trying. Unfortunately a table tennis table is huge and completely impractical to have in a normal sized house, but this dining table set has everything you need to enjoy a game of ping pong, from the net right down to the wrist bands, and it all packs away into a sturdy red tin. This will be a real winner while the grown ups are snoozing off their turkey dinner.

Santa and Friends Paint your own Mug
What is Christmas day, without a Christmas craft to wile away some time while dinner is cooking? This mug set comes preprinted with a festive image and your child uses the special paints provided to jazz it up. You can bring it back out year after year as their very own special Christmas Mug.

The Art of Children’s conversation Game
This is a great little game, which helps develop communication skills simply by getting kids talking. Packaged in a small box it’s handy to keep in the car and hand luggage if you are travelling. It consists of a pack of cards, each printed with various questions and conversation starters aimed at getting kids to think about their answers. All mine join in when we play, although a game often takes hours because the kids keep expanding on the original question. O, who granted is a little young for the game only ever answers by putting his finger to his chin and saying ‘Ummmmm. Two!’ which is hilarious.

I’m sure you can agree that all these would be great gifts for your children who are too old for kids toys, yet not quite at the teenage stage yet!

Disclaimer: I was sent a few items on this list to review, these were items I requested and thought would be great gifts.

Christmas Gifts for Younger Children

Another day closer to Christmas another gift guide, this time with gifts for younger children, aged from toddler up to about five. This has to be one of the easiest ages to buy for, as long as the only thing on their Christmas list isn’t this years ‘in toy’ that can’t be found for love nor money after September 31st!

You can really let your imagination run wild for the little ones, and even get them some of the more practical objects that they ‘need’ because they will likely be ripping through all the wrapping paper without really looking what’s inside anyway!

Gro Clock
Sometimes (most of the time) kids wake up at silly o’clock in the morning and expect it to be play time. There is only so often that you can put them back to bed before giving up, only to find you are awake before the kids TV channels have even started! This lovely clock, which also doubles as a night light, counts down stars through the night so children know its time to be in bed, until the screen changes showing a sun. The accompanying story book helps children to understand what you mean by ‘stay in bed until you see the sun’ and hopefully everyone will be getting much better nights sleep!

Giant Magnifying Glass
Little kids love exploring the world around them so why not let them look that little bit closer with one of these colourful little magnifying glasses? The chunky plastic handles make it an ideal christmas gift for small children and the flip out stand makes it hands free.

Colour in Cardboard Racing Reindeer
This colour in Reindeer would be great fun on it’s own, but if you have more than one small child they can have a great time racing each other! They are a great way to fill in some time during the day as the kids can spend plnty of time colouring them in exactly how they want before popping them over their heads and galloping about the place.

Irish Fairy Door
In a world where kids live with their noses in a screen, it it lovely to see a product that is designed to keep magic alive in the world. These tiny, handcrafted little doors help fairies relocate to your house, school, garden or anywhere, but always have a way to go back to fairyland. They are very well made and are great by themselves, with their three tint stepping stones, but the website also has plenty of products you can buy to help you fairy really settle in well!

Personalised Bean Bag
These bean bags come in a variety of colours and characters so you can choose your child’s favourite animal or colour and have their name added right across the front! These are quite firm bean bags which come in three sizes, so not only are they ideal to perch on to watch a favourite film but they are great to lean against or even used as a footstool. The covers are also machine washable which is very useful when it comes to small children and fabric.

Wooden Kitchen
Kids just love role playing and having a small kitchen for them to cook up a storm really is a great way to encourage this type of imaginative play. Throw in some tiny pots and pans and a basket of plastic food and you will be the best fed parent in town!

So there you have it, six fantastic Christmas gifts for younger children, without a certain pink pig or little blue train in sight!

Disclaimer, I was given some of these items to review, but they were products I chose to review and thought good enough to add them into this gift guide.

Christmas Gifts for Teenagers

No matter how old they are, writing letters to Santa is a big thing for my kids and really gets them started on the Christmas chatter. I start telling them in about September to think about what they want but am always reminding then come November that they actually need to write it down or Santa will have no hope of getting them what they want!

Over the next few days I will be sharing with you some fantastic gifts covering all ages, but today I want to share with you my top Christmas gifts for teenagers. They really are the hardest age to buy for and their gift piles are usually minuscule compared to their younger siblings, even thought they often cost the earth! Here are some of my favourite gifts for teens that I have seen this year (note to my daughters: You might want to stop reading now so you get some surprises!)

HyperX Cloud II Headset
Most modern video games are now designed to be played online and Skype seems to be the only method of communicating with friends after school (who needs a house phone any more?) which means today’s teens need a really good quality headset with microphone. The Cloud 2 delivers premium quality audio whilst also being designed for comfort, they will be worn a LOT after all so you don’t want their ears being squished!

Smartphone Projector
You will never find a teenager far from their phone, at least willingly, so I’m afraid this gift guide is a bit heavy on the phone related objects, but at least they are items they will actually use. I love this projector, its such a simple way for teenagers to share their images and videos with a group of friends without them all having to cram around a 4″ screen!

Stationery
My girls love stationery but quite often notepads are very girly, which they are not fans of, plus I expect it is quite difficult to get funky notepads that will be suitable for the boys to take to school. Two Little Boys have completely thrown the ‘stationery is for girls’ thing out the window and have plenty of fun ranges that will suit any teenager, actually they would suit anyone (I want one of every range) My current favourites are the ‘How to…For the Inept’ range which have very (un)helpful instructions for things such as surviving a zombie apocolypse.

Standeazy Phone and Tablet Stands
These handy little stands are the perfect gifts for teenagers who use their phones for everything and are so small they can ft right in a pocket. The ability to stand the phone up will mean they are able to watch or read the screen without having to hold the phone, leaving them hands free to do other things. Like homework (or is that just wishful thinking on my part?)

olloclip Macro Pro Lens
I am always trying to sneak fun yet slightly educational items into the gift piles at Christmas. This lens set is so cool that it can barely be classed as anything other than just great fun. The Olloclip turns a normal iphone camera into a digital microscope or loupe (I had to google this one; a loupe is a small magnifying glass used by jewelers or watchmakers). The 7x, 14x and 21x macro lenses lets you see very detailed closeups, nearly 100 times more magnification when combined with the iphone’s digital zoom.

Gear4 Espresso Bluetooth Speaker
My girls love their music, as do the majority of teenagers. These colourful little speakers mean that they can share the music from their phones with each other wherever they are. The handle of the espresso cup is also a carabiner clip so it can be clipped to clothing or bags without any worry of losing it. Don’t be put off by the size either, the sound level is suprisingly loud considering how small it is!

So there you have it, 6 fantastic gifts for teenagers that they would actually use and love to have, actually I might add some to my own letter to Santa, I hope it’s not too late!

Disclaimer, I was provided with some of the items in this list to review, these were items I chose myself and wanted to add to my gift guide.

Have a Happy Dairy Free Easter

Eight years ago, when we first discovered LV was allergic to dairy, holidays like Christmas and Easter was a really hard time for us. Supermarkets were barely scratching the surface of the ‘Free From’ ranges they have now with just the odd staple ingredients available. So trying to find dairy free Easter eggs, that were also appealing to children, was nigh on impossible. At Christmas we even had to go on a waiting list in the hope we could get a dairy free advent calender, my memory is failing me but I believe that might have been with Kinnerton who are well known for their allergy friendly products.

LV pretty much out grew his dairy issues when he reach five years old, which made my life soooo much easier!

But, now we know O is allergic to dairy too I am so pleased to see that supermarkets and high street stores are finally catering more for those with dietary issues and there are also a multitude of websites aimed at those with any type of dietary issue you can think of! What would have taken me hours of trawling the internet to find a few overpriced products aimed at adults, and mostly of the dark chocolate variety, has now been made as simple as popping to the shop or jumping online for a few minutes to find some fab products.

Fun products like this selection from Holland and Barratt:

1. This small bunny shaped chocolate is ideal for younger ones who might not need a whole egg, or for an extra little treat.

2. These Eco Eggs are not only dairy free but they look very funky and are earth friendly too!

3. This white chocolate egg has a child friendly packaging and is a nice change to the dark chocolate usually on offer with dairy free products.

At our house the Easter Bunny usually leaves a map for a little treasure hunt on Easter morning. Some years he obviously gets much more time to prepare and the map is wonderfully elaborate with lots of clues. I’m not sure why but other years it seems he gets rushed for time and the maps are quite simple and basic:

You can purchase small clear plastic eggs which are ideal to fill with a small treat to leave at each clue or hiding spot (or just leave a handful in a small sandwich bag) I’ve found these yummy little things which I think are just perfect:

1. These Chocolate mini eggs from D and D chocolates are covered in brightly coloured foil so very appealing for kids.

2. These Chocolate half eggs from Plamil are milk chocolate so always a winner for those who don’t like the dark variety.

3. I buy these Chocolate disks from Sainsbury’s a lot, they often come in brightly coloured foil wrappers not just gold.

4. For a change to chocolate, but much healthier than regular sweets, Goody Good Stuff sweets are all natural and feel just as firm as “real” gummy sweets. There is a wide variety including sour ones!

But of course at the end of any treasure hunt you need a prize! Instead of more chocolate or sweets why not go for something a bit different?

1. I’ve never hidden the fact that I love crafts, this little pop up puppet kit from Baker Ross is just adorable!

2. Hex bugs are great little gifts for an older child, I’ve even heard they have a limited edition Easter one!

3. Does your child love lego? Why not buy this lovely Easter Bunny set available at Tesco

4. This lovely Easter Bunny from Teddy Bear Friends is such a cutie and is bound to win any little ones heart.

5. Of course you needn’t spend a fortune, these cute and fluffy soft toys from Poundland are just adorable

So this is just a selection of dairy free Easter products suitable for kids that I have found. Some of these dairy free items are also vegan friendly as well as free from other allergens such as Gluten and egg.

Is there anything else you would add to this list?

My little tip to you is to buy your dairy free Easter eggs early as they tend to go out of stock quite quickly!

***Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of Goody Good Sweets, a Hex Bug and an Eco Egg as requested by me for the purposes of this post but all thoughts and ideas are my own***

Special Mother’s Day gifts for under £15

Earlier in the week I shared with you my Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide. Now I promised I would provide you with a selection of more reasonably priced gifts. This post is filled with some lovely items that would still melt any mother’s heart but wouldn’t melt your bank card in the process!

1. Flowers. Unless your mum is allergic you really can’t go wrong with some pretty flowers. This pretty little basket of Chrysanthemums is just beautiful and just creeps into this gift guide at £14.99 delivered straight to your door.

2. Good old Cadbury Milk Tray, the last minute gift saviour of many a husband and son over the years. This year Cadbury has released this limited Edition Mother’s Day Box. It is a massive (600g) box for £12.99 and will keep any mum happily munching choccies, oh, for at least two evenings I’d say!

3. Pampering is the name of the game on Mother’s Day and this Arnicare Bath and Massage Bar, which is available at Boots, is a two in one product. Use it straight on your skin as a massage oil or pour under running water to create a sweet smelling milky bath. I have tried this and the Grapefruit and Lavender essential oils really do relax you and help you unwind.

4. Personalised books are a big thing at the moment and in this Peppa Pig book called ‘My Mummy’ your children tell Peppa and all the Pig family about their wonderful mum. The best thing is that it’s currently on offer at £10! There are lot’s of personalisation options available and if you order before the 11th it’s guaranteed Mother’s Day delivery. You just need to keep leaving the webpage up on all your electronics so hubby gets the hint 😉

5. Create a handprint bouquet. These particular ‘flowers’ have been on my shelf since the twins were almost two, what other bouquet would look this good after 12 years? They are super simple to make, just some paper, straws and paint (plus some cute little hands), I’ll be sharing a step by step guide with you in a few days.

6. These Nella Milano nail varnishes might be a little pricey for some at £8.95 a bottle but believe me, they are worth every penny. I normally struggle to find a colour I really like and then manage to chip them within 24 hours, but these are not only available in a vast array colours they are quite hard wearing too.

7, 8, 9. This Bodum mug and tea infuser set is only £8.99 and would brew a fantastic cuppa for one when paired up with this Afternoon Loose Tea for £5 per 100g. Now I may be slightly bias here but nothing goes better with a cup of tea than some freshly made Welsh Cakes. I will be sharing my favourite recipe next week so I’ll be sure to let you all know.

Do any of these Mother’s Day gifts really take your fancy here? What else would you add?

***Disclosure: I received the nail varnish, Arnicare and the Cadbury Milk Tray for the purposes of this review but all thought and words are my own***

How to really spoil your mum this Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day really is special to me. Over the years, my gifts and cards have mostly all been homemade, which I love, a homemade card is much nicer than any hallmark one in my opinion. But I have never really had a ‘big gift’. This is mostly because my darling husband is a shopaphobe (it’s a word!) and obviously when they are little apart from home (or school) made gifts you can’t expect much from the kids.

Baring in mind that a lot of other mums probably have the same experience I have I decided to put together this Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide. So if you have a little more spare cash than usual this Mother’s Day, why not splash out on one of these extra special gifts for your mum? Show her how much you really care. Or buy for yourself, on behalf of the kids of course!

1. First up we have this Bespoke Children’s Artwork Book by Doodle Nest. It is quite pricey at £175 but if you are the type of person who needs to keep every single piece of artwork your child has ever made (yes I’m speaking to you!) then this might just be your answer. You get sent a box for all your artwork, Doodle Nest photograph it all, make it look bright, beautiful and blemish free, then they add them into this personalised book.

2. Secondly we have the Rokit Gel Professional Nail Kit. This is available at Debenhams for £99.99.
One of the only reasons I don’t like having my nails painted is that I am rubbish at keeping them looking nice. Within the hour I usually have chips and then of course I start picking, but these gels are supposed to stay put for up to 14 days! Now my mum has her nails done every few weeks and they always look beautiful! I was lucky enough to be provided with one of these kits so keep an eye out for a full review soon.

3. Time keeping can be difficult when you have little kids running riots around your ankles but one of these beautiful wood watches by Jord could set you back between £100 and £250 (delivered from the USA) which when you think about it isn’t that steep for a really good quality watch. These really are stunning and any mum would be over the moon to receive one. I will be reviewing one of these over the next few weeks.

4. Flowers are the staple Mother’s Day gift in most houses. This luxury bouquet of hand tied, highly scented white Lilys come with a high pricetag of £119.50 but you have to agree they are a stunning display and they also come with a delicious box of chocolates.

5. Just a snap at £39 each these Colebrooke by Windsmoor scarves designed by Dame Zandra Rhodes will brighten up any wardrobe with splashes of lovely colours and designs. Zandra Rhodes was inspired by pearls, fringing and jewels when she created the designs for this collection which are bright and bold and yet still tasteful. These scarves will make any old outfit come to life.

6. What Mother’s Day would be complete without chocolates? At £190 for 15 they are certainly not your average choccies but these chocolate champagne truffles available online or from Harrods. Handmade, coated in 24 carat gold leaf and displayed in a stunning Swarovski adorned box

7, 8, 9. Both my mum and I enjoy a gossip over nice cup of tea. The next three items go together to make one mighty fine, yet slightly expensive cuppa. Take the Mono Classic Teapot for £195, brew some of this Knotted White Tea from the India Tea Company (£100 of 50g pouch) and pour into one of these Royal Albert mugs from the Miranda Kerr collection. They are only £25 each too (I did see some more expensive ones but these are just so pretty!)

So that is it, my Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

Of course if like me, you are as poor as a church mouse, then these wonderful gifts might be a little beyond your reach, but don’t despair! Keep an eye out later this week for my more reasonably priced gift guide, some of the things will even free (or as near as i can get)!

What do you have planned for your mum (or yourself) this year?

***Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of the Rokit kit, the scarf and the watch for this post but all thoughts and opinions are my own***